Burial-casket and handle



No. 6l8,l59. Patented Jan. 24, I899. W. H. ANTES.

BURIAL CASKET AND HANDLE.

(Application filed Feb. 28, 1898.)

(N o M o d e l WWW EMWb/n Price,

PATENT \VILLIAM II. ANTES, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

BURlAL-CASKET AND HANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,159, dated January24, 1899.

Application filed February 28,1898- $erial No. 671,957. (No model.)

T0 to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. Avrns, of Rockford, in the county ofWinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Burial-Caskets or Coffins and Handles for the Same, ofwhich the following is a description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in burial-caskets or coffinsand handles for the same.

It relates more particularly to burial-caskets or coffins so constructedas to provide for the connection thereto of end handles to enablepall-bearers to carry the casket at opposite ends thereof, which isfrequently important and necessary where the casket is being carriedthrough narrow passages and doorways of such diminished width as to makeit impossible for the pall-bearers to grasp the handles connected to thesides of the casket.

It is the object of my invention to so construct the burial-casket as toprovide for the connection thereto of removable handles which arecapable of being instantly connected and disconnected and whendisconnected to be freely removable and which when connected arepreferably so arranged as not to be visible and not to appropriate anyof the interior space of the casket.

With the above primary object in view the invention consists of thedevices and parts or their equivalents,- as hereinafter more fully setforth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof a casket, showing the same broken away centrally and the handlesproperly connected. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the casket broken awaycentrally and also showing the handles properly connected and a portionof the bottom of the casket broken away to illustrate clearly the mannerof connecting the handle. Fig. 3is a detail view of one of the plates orcastings which is countersunk into the bottom of the casket, and Fig. atis a longitudinal sectional view of the handle.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 6 indicates a burial-casket,whichis of the usual and well-known form of construction. At oppositeends the casket has extending inwardly through the end pieces thereofand into the bottom of the casket for a desired distance recesses 7,preferably of circular form. Each of these recesses is intersected nearits inner end by a transverse recess 8, formed in the bottom of thecasket. In these transverse recesses are countersunk plates 9, which areheld in place by means of screws or equivalents and are providedcentrally with a depending apertured lug 10, which extends into therecess 7. It will be understood that the top surfaces of the plates 9are flush with the upper surface of the bottom of the casket and arecovered by thelining 11 of the casket, so as to be entirely invisible.

Each handle is composed of two principal membersviz., an outer tube 12and an inner rod 13. The outer tube has pivoted therein a dog 14, oneend of said dog protruding through an opening 15 in the tube. To theinner end of the dog is pivotally connected the inner end of the rod 13.The'outer end of the rod projects slightly beyond the outer end of thetube, and this projecting end is threaded in order to provide for theconnection thereto of an operating finger-piece or head 16. This headextends into the end of the tube for a short distance and is formedmedially at a point somewhat .removed from the end of the tube with ashoulder 17. A coiled spring 18 encircles the rod between the inner endof the finger-piece or head 16 and a projecting pin 19 from the tube.

In order to connect a handle, the fingerpiece or head is pushed inwardlyto the extent permitted by the shoulder 17. This will cause a likeinward movement of the rod 13, and said rod 13 will turn the dog 14 onits pivot, so as to throw its projecting end inwardly into the opening15, whereby the dog offers no impediment to the free insertion of thehandle. The handle is then passed into the recess 7, and thence throughthe apertured lug 10 of the plate 9, and after the end of the tube hasreached the end of said recess pressure on the finger-piece or head 16is removed. The coiled spring 18 in its recoil will act against thefinger-piece or head and cause an out movement of the rod and aconsequent turning of the dog back to its normal positionthat is,projecting through the opening 15. In this position it will be back ofthe inner edge of the plate 9, and consequently the handle will be heldin engagement with the casket. In order to release the handle, it isobvious that all that is necessary to be done is to again press in onthe finger-piece or head 16, so as to throw the projecting end of thedog down into the tube and release said dog from engagement with theinner edge of the plate. N o obstruction is then offered to theout-pulling of the handle.

From the above description it is thought that the construction,operation, and advantages of my invention will be readily understood.

It will be evident that, from the arrangement adopted by me,burial-caskets can be sold and put on the market constructed as hereinshown and described, so as to be ready for the application thereto ofthe handles, which handles may likewise be separately sold and put onthe market. A great advantage of my invention resides in the fact thatthe handles may be instantly connected and disconnected by theundertaker, so that at a funeral, if it is necessary to go through anarrow passage-way or doorway, the undertaker may instantly connect thehandles and have the pall-bearers carry the casket from the endsthereof.

lVhile I have shown the recesses 7 as extending into the bottom of thecasket, yet I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to thatexact arrangement, inasmuch as the sides of the casket might be providedwith recesses to receive the handles passed through the end of thecasket. I also consider it within the spirit and scope of my inventionto omit altogether recesses either in the bottom or sides of the casketand run the handles along the sides or above the bottom and detachablyconnecting the ends thereof. The provision of the recesses, however, isby far the preferable arrangement, inasmuch as the appearance of thecasket is not in the' least marred, as no portion of the constructionadopted for fastening the handles is at all visible and also none of theinterior space of the casketis appropriated.

In the accompanying illustration of my invention I have shown. two ofthe handles at each end. It will be understood that any desired numbermay be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

lVhile I have shown and described my improvements as particularlyadapted to burialcaskets, yet I do not wish to be understood asrestricting myself to such application, as it is obvious that the samedevices could be applied to various kinds of cases or receptacles whichare required to be lifted or carried manually.

While it is obvious from the nature of the invention and the objectcontemplated thereby that it is desirable that the recesses in thecasket should extend inwardly from the ends of the casket or openingsprovided through the ends of the casket, yet I do not wish to beunderstood as limiting myself thereto, as if desired the recesses couldextend inwardly through the sides of the casket or holes providedthrough the sides thereof, so that the improved form of handles wouldconstitute side handles and would be adapted to take the place of theordinary permanent side handies. In such application of the handles, ofcourse, the inner stops would have to be arranged in such position as tobe engaged by the catch of the handles.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. A detachable handle, consisting of anouter tube having an opening near one end, a dog pivoted within thetube, and having one end normally projecting through said opening, a'rod within the tube and having one end connected to the dog, and itsopposite end extending beyond the end of the tube, so as to adapt therod to be pushed inwardly.

2. A detachable handle consisting of an outer tube having an openingnear one end, a dog pivoted within the tube and having one end normallyprojecting through said open ing, a rod within the tube and having oneend connected to the dog, and its opposite end extending beyond the endof the tube, so as to adapt the rod to be pushed inwardly, and a springencircling the rod within the tube, and adapted to be compressed as therod is pushed inwardly.

3. A detachable handle, consisting of an outer tube having an openingnear one end, a dog pivoted within the tube and having one end normallyprojecting through said opening, a rod within the tube and having oneend connected to the dog, and its opposite end extending beyond the endof the tube, a finger-piece or head on the projecting end of the rod,said finger-piece or head extending a short distance into the tube, andprovided beyond the outer end of the tube with a shoulder, adapted tolimit the inward movement of the head.

4. The combination of a burial-casket hav-- ing an inner stop, a handleadapted to be inserted through an opening in the casket, said handlehaving a dog pivoted thereto, and means for operating said dog so as tocause the same to be turned down on its pivot and thereby clear the stopon the insertion or removal of the handle, and for causing said dog tobe turned in the opposite direction to engage the stop and hold thehandle detachably locked in position.

5. The combination, of a burial-casket hav ing an inner stop, a handleadapted to be inserted through an opening in the casket, said handleconsisting of a tube having a dog pivoted therein, said dog normallyhaving one end projecting through an opening in the inner end of thetube, and means within the tube for turning the dog on its pivot so asto cause the projecting end of the dog to be turned into the tube andthereby allow either for the insertion or the entire removal of thetube, and for causing said dog to turn back to its normal position toprovide for its engagement With the stop.

6. The combination, of aburial-casket having a recess extending inwardlyfora desired distance into the bottom of the casket and below the uppersurface of said bottom, a plate intersecting said recess near the innerend thereof, said plate forming a stop, a handle having a dog pivotedthereto, and means for operating said dog so as to cause the same to beturned down on its pivot and thereby clear the stop on the insertion ofthe handle into or its removal from the recess, and for causing said dogto be turned in the opposite direction so as to engage the stop and holdthe handle detachably locked in position.

7. The combination, of aburial-casket having an opening therethrough,and also having an inner stop, an adjustable catch carried by saidhandle, and means for adjusting said catch, whereby, under oneadjustment of the catch, the handle is adapted to be freely insertedthrough the opening to such an extent that the end thereof will bebeyond the stop, and also freely withdrawn through the opening of thecasket, so as to be entirely disconnected from the casket, the catch,when the handle is inserted through the opening, and

said catch is beyond the stop, adapted, under another adjustmentthereof, to engage back of the stop in order to hold the handlereleasably in engagement with the stop.

8. The combination, of a burial-casket having a recess formed in, andextending longitudinally for a desired distance of, the casing formingthe casket, a plate or stop countersunk in and intersecting the recess,at or near the inner end of the recess, said plate provided with adepending lug having an opening therethrough, and a tubular handlehaving a dog pivoted therein, said dog normally projecting through anopening in the tubular handle, and means for operating the dog, so as toturn the same into the tubular handle, so that said handle may beinserted into the recess of the casket and through the opening of thedepending lug of the plate, and also removed from the casket.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. ANTES.

lVitnesses:

A. L. MoRsELL, ANNA V. FAUs'r.

